SHILLONG: The CAG report has revealed that the Animal Husbandry Department was unable to make three dispensaries operational even though constructions for the same were completed.
The CAG report said that the construction of veterinary dispensary buildings at Nonglang, Krang and Ichamati were completed in February, March and November 2011 at a cost of Rs 33.20 lakh, 33.22 lakh and Rs 52.79 lakh respectively.
However, the three dispensaries could not be made operational till the date of audit (July 2012) as posts for the staff members for these dispensaries were yet to be sanctioned by the department despite submission of a proposal for the same by the director of the department in January 2011.
The report observed that failure to make available the required complement of staff to run these facilities resulted in the expenditure of Rs 1.19 crore being unproductive for over a year.
According to the report, the director AH&V stated that the dispensary at Ichamati had been made functional by engaging the nearby AH&V officer to look after the dispensary at least once in a week. The director also informed the audit that the other two dispensaries at Nonglang, Krang could not be made operational since the staffs for the dispensaries were yet to be sanctioned by the department.
Making a veterinary officer from nearby also responsible for Ichamati dispensary against the requirement of a full-fledged veterinary officer, field assistant, peon and chowkidar can at best be termed as an unsatisfactory stopgap arrangement, the CAG report observed.